One of Six U.S. Sites Adopting, Testing New Models of Geriatric Care; Experience to Inform New Healthcare Policy

Syracuse, NY – Crouse Hospital is one of six healthcare sites in the United States invited by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University to participate in a new pilot program focusing on the care of senior patients. The Medicare Innovations Collaborative (Med-IC) is a national effort to change healthcare policy and improve care for older adults by putting the leading models of geriatric best practices to work in hospital settings.

“We selected Crouse Hospital because of its track record in developing successful programs for older patients and our belief in its commitment to expanding those programs to meet the challenge of the changing healthcare needs of its community,” said Albert Siu, MD, principal investigator of Med-IC and chair of the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

“It’s an honor to be included in this group of hospitals and health systems that are recognized for best practices in the care of senior patients,” said Paul Kronenberg, MD, Crouse Hospital president and CEO. Through its senior centered care program, Crouse has implemented a number of initiatives geared to senior patients, including a care transitions program that provides patients with congestive heart failure education and support to promote knowledge and self-management as they move from hospital to home. The program has demonstrated a reduction in the readmission rate for these patients, a significant focus of federal healthcare reform.

In addition to Crouse, the sites chosen to participate in the Medicare Innovations Collaborative include:

Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI

Carolinas HealthCare System/Mercy Hospital, Charlotte, NC

Geisinger Health System/Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA

Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA

University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH

Models Address Gaps in All Stages of Geriatric Care Med-IC will collaborate with this competitively selected group of six hospitals and health systems, each of which will adopt one or more evidence-based geriatric care models. These innovative programs address a range of needs, including keeping older people out of the hospital when they do not need to be admitted, caring effectively for patients in the hospital, and preventing hospital readmissions by helping patients make effective transitions home from the hospital. They can also help hospitals provide better, more cost-effective care to their senior patients, many of whom have multiple chronic conditions and require expensive, complicated care. At Crouse, a multidisciplinary team will assist medically complex senior patients to maintain their levels of function and transition to home successfully.

“Caring for older adults is a central challenge facing hospitals today. By incorporating these new models into their geriatric programs, hospitals will be able to improve the clinical care they provide to this growing population while doing so in a more cost-effective manner,” notes Dr. Siu.

The Medicare Innovations Collaborative is being funded by a grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies.